Unexpected Song
by jtbwriter
Summary: What if what you lost, is found, after you’ve moved on. I do not own any of the muchloved characters on NCIS, that pleasure belongs to Bellisarius Production.  Thanks to MB and Beth T and Sara W for all your support!


Unexpected Song

What if what you lost, is found, after you've moved on.

(I do not own "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, or any of the much-loved characters from NCIS-that pleasure belongs to Bellisarius Productions. I still have dibs on Gibbs, if there's ever a change in ownership!)

There it was again.

Tony groaned as he turned off his clock radio. It figured, a dark, overcast day, and the same song, three days in a row.

"_Aruba, Jamaica, gee I want to take ya, to Bermuda, Bahamas, come on, pretty…"_

"Try be original, Fish, will ya!" he snarled, hitting the snooze button on the clock, then groaning as he remembered his last dream.

_There was Kate, grinning tipsily back at him from the wet t-shirt contest poster. Next to him, Jeanne frowned._

"_How can any woman demean herself that way….Tony, you can't tell me you get off on that?"_

"_Oh, he did, Doctor….."_

_That voice! Tony whirled and saw Kate, his former partner and secret love, standing there in that raucous bar. She looked hot, wearing a flowered shirt and mini-skirt, just as he imagined she'd look._

"_You? I thought you were dead, Tony, you told me she was dead." Jeanne whined in his ear, then Kate shook her head._

"_Only if he wants me to be…..and since he's moved on, I guess he does. Goodbye, Tony…take care of Gibbs and McGee and Ducky for me."_

_Suddenly she started to fade, and as he reached for Kate, soundlessly pleading for her to stay, he woke to that song._

"I wish…..oh…I don't know what I'd wish…" he groaned, then a little voice in his head, the same one he used to listen to all the time, spoke up.

"_Oh, come on, party boy..you know what you wish…you want Kate back..you want her instead of Daddy's little girl!"_

"No I don't….I love Jeanne…..Kate is…was..a great person, but she's dead." Tony told himself out loud.

"_But if she came back, even for five minutes, you can't tell me you wouldn't want her…"_

"Of course I want her…I'd give anything to have her back, yes…anything for five minutes with her." Tony burst out loud, startling himself.

"_Now where did that come from…hmmmm? Anything?"_

Suddenly there was a flash of lightening, then thunder broke overhead.

"No way…." Tony breathed, seeing a puff of smoke taking form in his bedroom. Swirling and rising from the floor, it finally coalesced into a figure….

_**Kate!**_

But it wasn't the Kate from his dreams….but a disheveled, unhappy-looking Kate…dressed in the demure outfit he last saw her in…in her coffin.

Shocked, Tony backed up as she came toward him. "What….what…"

"Come on, spit it out, DiNozzo….you've never been short of words before." She spat at him, her tone furious.

That made him pause long enough to gather his thoughts. "I've…never seen a ghost before…this is a joke, right? You're just something left over from my dreams, or…oh, I get it..this is one of McGeek's pranks!"

Smiling now, Tony peered past Kate, hollering, "Okay, McGee…Abby…good job! You thought you'd have me going, did you? It takes a lot more then dry ice and a hologram..ow!"

"Stop it, DiNozzo….you're wasting time here." Kate slapped him, then stepped back as Tony froze, holding his cheek.

"Did you just slap me, Kate? Why did you do that…oh..my GOD!" he breathed, realizing he had "felt" her hand.

"You're the one who wanted five minutes with me…are you really willing to give anything to have me back?" she sniped. The hard look in her eyes frightened him, there was no way this was "his" Kate.

"No…you're not the Kate Todd I remember…go away…whatever or…whoever you are." He said quietly.

At once there was that smoke effect again, and as she seemed to fade into it, Kate spoke again, almost drowned out by the thunder.

"Goodbye, Tony, remember, be careful what you ask for…"

But now her voice was almost …regretful, and he suddenly realized what she had done.

"Goodbye, Kate…and thanks….I won't forget."

As she disappeared, he saw her smile, the sweet, "I know you" look that made him want to hold her. Then his room was empty, and the rain began to fall.

Tony stood for a moment, just thinking about what he had seen, then smiled. Sitting back down on his bed, he picked up his phone, then hit speed dial.

"Hey, good morning, ….you sound sleepy, did I wake you? Good, cause I want to know, whatcha doing later this afternoon?"

Outside his window Kate stood, smile still in place.

"No regrets, Tony…no regrets.", she whispered, then vanished into the morning light.

End


End file.
